Government united under Kamal’s leadership, says Buledi

Finance minister says cabinet has removed 2,500 bogus schemes from PSDP

QUETTA: Balochistan Finance Minister Zahoor Buledi on Wednesday said the chief minister has every right to set his own team and remove or add any member of the coalition parties in his cabinet using his powers. He was responding to the simmering debate that emerged in Balochistan after the removal of PTI’s health minister from the cabinet.

“The Balochistan government stands united under the leadership of Chief Minister Jam Kamal. Former Health Minister Naseebullah Marri remains an integral partner of the BAP regime and CM would unveil a better decision after his return from abroad,” said Buledi while addressing a news conference at the Chief Minister Secretariat.

He was accompanied by Secretary Finance Noorul Haq Baloch and spokesperson to the provincial government Liaquat Shahwani.

Buledi refuted the hearsays regarding the reversal of the education portfolio from Advisor to CM for Education Muhammad Khan Lehri and urged the media to avoid sharing false news without verification from the officials.

Buledi said opposition parties’ claims that the provincial funds have been transferred to the federal government as part of the plan to collect money from all provinces for IMF installment, was baseless.

“The opposition parties are distracting people over fake news but the BAP led provincial government would never compromise on the prosperity and development of Balochistan for which people of the province elected us in the last general elections,” Buledi said, also refuting opposition’s allegations regarding government minister’s intervention in opposition members’ constituencies.

“Development work worth 2 billion is being carried out in all districts with a special focus on education, health, clean drinking and infrastructure,” Buledi claimed.

“Cabinet has removed 2,500 bogus and unnecessary schemes from Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) while government has approved 1,600 news schemes for which 34 billion rupees have been released,” he informed.

Sarcastically responding over opposition’s allegations, Buledi asked them to visit their respective districts and witness mega development projects.

Sharing the details of development schemes in Quetta, Buledi stressed there was a need of a better administration following the burgeoning population in the provincial capital.

“For the first time Planning Commission’s team visited Quetta after which the development schemes of Rs70 to 80 billion have been approved for people,” he explained.

Replying to a question regarding the release of four Baloch Women arrested from district Awaran, the minister said the court released them after the former was found innocent, terming law superior to any coalition partners.

“Courts are fully active in the country and are making a decision over proofs and evidences instead of releasing people over the demands of any coalition party,”Buledi said.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 12^th, 2019.